Xanthippe was the wife of
Socrates Socrates was a Classical Greek philosopher. Credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy, he is an enigmatic figure known only through the classical accounts of his students...
and mother of their three sons
LamproclesLamprocles was Socrates' and Xanthippe's eldest son. His two brothers were Menexenus and Sophroniscus. Lamprocles was only a lad at the time of Socrates' trial and death...
,
SophroniscusSophroniscus, husband of Phaenarete, was the father of the philosopher Socrates.-Occupation:Little is known about Sophroniscus, and his relationship with his son Socrates...
, and
MenexenusThe Menexenus is a Socratic dialogue of Plato, traditionally included in the seventh tetralogy along with the Greater and Lesser Hippias and the Ion. The characters are Socrates and Menexenus, who is not to be confused with Socrates' son Menexenus. The Menexenus of Plato's dialogue appears also...
. There are far more stories about her than there are facts. She was likely much younger than the philosopher, perhaps by as much as forty years.
Xanthippe means "blonde horse", from the
GreekGreek , an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, is the language of the Greeks. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. In its ancient form, it is the language of classical...
ξανθός "xanthos" (blonde) and ‘ιππος "hippos" (
horseThe horse is a hoofed mammal, a subspecies of one of seven extant species of the family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
). Hers is one of many Greek personal names with a horse theme (cf. Philippos: "horse lover"; Hippocrates: "horse tamer" etc).
Xanthippe was the wife of
Socrates Socrates was a Classical Greek philosopher. Credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy, he is an enigmatic figure known only through the classical accounts of his students...
and mother of their three sons
LamproclesLamprocles was Socrates' and Xanthippe's eldest son. His two brothers were Menexenus and Sophroniscus. Lamprocles was only a lad at the time of Socrates' trial and death...
,
SophroniscusSophroniscus, husband of Phaenarete, was the father of the philosopher Socrates.-Occupation:Little is known about Sophroniscus, and his relationship with his son Socrates...
, and
MenexenusThe Menexenus is a Socratic dialogue of Plato, traditionally included in the seventh tetralogy along with the Greater and Lesser Hippias and the Ion. The characters are Socrates and Menexenus, who is not to be confused with Socrates' son Menexenus. The Menexenus of Plato's dialogue appears also...
. There are far more stories about her than there are facts. She was likely much younger than the philosopher, perhaps by as much as forty years.
Name
Xanthippe means "blonde horse", from the
GreekGreek , an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, is the language of the Greeks. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. In its ancient form, it is the language of classical...
ξανθός "xanthos" (blonde) and ‘ιππος "hippos" (
horseThe horse is a hoofed mammal, a subspecies of one of seven extant species of the family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
). Hers is one of many Greek personal names with a horse theme (cf. Philippos: "horse lover"; Hippocrates: "horse tamer" etc). The "hippos" in an ancient Greek name often suggested aristocratic heritage. One additional reason for thinking Xanthippe's family was socially prominent was that her eldest son was named
LamproclesLamprocles was Socrates' and Xanthippe's eldest son. His two brothers were Menexenus and Sophroniscus. Lamprocles was only a lad at the time of Socrates' trial and death...
instead of "Sophroniscus" (after
Socrates' fatherSophroniscus, husband of Phaenarete, was the father of the philosopher Socrates.-Occupation:Little is known about Sophroniscus, and his relationship with his son Socrates...
). The ancient Greek custom was to name one's first child after the more illustrious of the two grandfathers. Xanthippe's father is believed to have been named Lamprocles. Since he was even more well-established in Athenian aristocracy than was Socrates' father, his name would have been the preferred choice for the name of the first-born son.
Character
Plato's portrayal of Xanthippe (in his
PhaedoPlato's Phaedo is one of the great dialogues of his middle period, along with the Republic and the Symposium. The Phaedo, which depicts the death of Socrates, is also Plato's fifth and last dialogue to detail the philosopher's final days...
) suggests that she was nothing less than a devoted wife and mother (60a-b, 116b; she is mentioned nowhere else in Plato).
XenophonXenophon , son of Gryllus, of the deme Erchia of Athens, also known as Xenophon of Athens and Xenophon of Thebes, was a soldier, mercenary, and a contemporary and admirer of Socrates...
, in his
Memorabilia, portrays her in much the same light, though he does make
LamproclesLamprocles was Socrates' and Xanthippe's eldest son. His two brothers were Menexenus and Sophroniscus. Lamprocles was only a lad at the time of Socrates' trial and death...
complain of her harshness (2.2.7-9); it could be argued that this is fairly typical of an adolescent's views of a strict parent. It is only in Xenophon's
SymposiumXenophon's Symposium records the discussion of Socratesand company at a dinner given by Callias for Autolycus, son of Lycon. Xenophon's Symposium (Συμπόσιον) records the discussion of Socratesand company at a dinner given by Callias for Autolycus, son of Lycon. Xenophon's Symposium (Συμπόσιον)...
where we have Socrates agree that she is (in
AntisthenesAntisthenes was a Greek philosopher and a pupil of Socrates. Antisthenes first learned rhetoric under Gorgias before becoming an ardent disciple of Socrates. He adopted and developed the ethical side of Socrates' teachings, advocating an ascetic life lived in accordance with virtue...
' words) "the hardest to get along with of all the women there are" (2.10). Nevertheless, Socrates adds that he chose her precisely because of her argumentative spirit:
It is the example of the rider who wishes to become an expert horseman: "None of your soft-mouthed, docile animals for me," he says; "the horse for me to own must show some spirit" in the belief, no doubt, if he can manage such an animal, it will be easy enough to deal with every other horse besides. And that is just my case. I wish to deal with human beings, to associate with man in general; hence my choice of wife. I know full well, if I can tolerate her spirit, I can with ease attach myself to every human being else. (Symposium 17-19)
Perhaps this picture of Xanthippe originated with the historical Antisthenes, one of Socrates' pupils, since Xenophon initially puts this view into his mouth.
AelianAelian or Aelianus may refer to:*Aelianus Tacticus, Greek military writer of the 2nd century, who lived in Rome*Casperius Aelianus, Praetorian Prefect, executed by Trajan...
also depicts her as a jealous shrew in his description of an episode in which she tramples underfoot a large and beautiful cake sent to Socrates by his
eromenosIn the pederastic tradition of Classical Athens, the eromenos was an adolescent boy who was in a love relationship with an adult man, known as the erastes ....
,
AlcibiadesAlcibiades Cleiniou Scambonides , was a prominent Athenian statesman, orator, and general. He was the last famous member of his mother's aristocratic family, the Alcmaeonidae, which fell from prominence after the Peloponnesian War...
.
Diogenes LaertiusDiogenes Laërtius , was a biographer of the Greek philosophers. Nothing is known about his life, but his surviving Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers is one of the principal surviving sources for the history of Greek philosophy.-Life:Nothing is known about his life. He must have lived after...
(
LivesLives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers is a biography of the Greek philosophers by Diogenes Laërtius, written in Greek, perhaps in the first half of the third century AD.-Overview:...
2.36-37) tells of other stories involving Xanthippe's supposed abusiveness, but he does not cite any source for them.
It seems that Xenophon's portrayal of her in his
Symposium has been the most influential (Diogenes Laertius, for example, seems to quote (2.37) the
Symposium passage, though he does not mention Xenophon by name). For the term "Xanthippe" has now come to mean any nagging scolding person, especially a shrewish wife.
Later writers, such as Diogenes Laertius (
Lives 2.26), say that Xanthippe was Socrates' second wife, that his first was Myrto. Diogenes does not cite his source.
PlutarchPlutarch, born Plutarchos then, on his becoming a Roman citizen, Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus , c. AD 46 – 120, was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia...
tells of a similar story, reporting that it comes from a work entitled
On Good Birth, which may or may not have been written by
AristotleAristotle was a Greek philosopher, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. He wrote on many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology.Together with Plato and Socrates , Aristotle is one of...
. In Plutarch's version of the story, however, Socrates, who was already married, attended to Myrto's financial concerns when she became a widow; this does not entail marriage. Perhaps Diogenes' source was the same or no better. We have no more reliable evidence on this issue.
Literary references
In Shakespeare's
Taming of the Shrew, Petruchio compares Katherina
"As Socrates' Xanthippe or a worse" in Act 1 Scene 2. (
Read here)
The novelist
Henry FieldingHenry Fielding was an English novelist and dramatist known for his rich earthy humour and satirical prowess, and as the author of the novel Tom Jones....
describes the shrewish Mrs. Partridge thus:
- The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling
The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, often known simply as Tom Jones, is a comic novel by the English playwright and novelist Henry Fielding. First published on 28 February 1749, Tom Jones is among the earliest English prose works describable as a novel...
, Book II, Chapters iii & iv.
The English Victorian poet
Amy Levy- Biography :Levy was born in Clapham, London, the second daughter of Lewis Levy and Isobel Levin. Her Jewish family was mildly observant, but as an adult Levy no longer practised Judaism; she continued to identify with the Jews as a people....
wrote a dramatic monologue called "Xantippe"
http://www.indiana.edu/~letrs/vwwp/levy/xantippe.html.
"Puttermesser and Xanthippe" is the title of one of the chapters of
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
novelist
Cynthia OzickCynthia Ozick , is an American short story writer, novelist, and essayist.She earned her B.A. from New York University and went on to study English Literature at Ohio State University, where she completed an M.A....
's 1997 novel
The Puttermesser PapersThe Puttermesser Papers is a novel written by Cynthia Ozick. It was published in 1997. It could also be considered a collection of short stories, as each of the five "chapters" were published previously in various magazines before being brought together as this book; however, the book has the...
, a
National Book AwardThe National Book Awards are among the most eminent literary prizes in the United States. Started in 1950, the awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the prior year, as well as lifetime achievement awards including the "Medal of Distinguished Contribution to...
finalist.
In
Michelle CliffMichelle Cliff is a Jamaican-American author whose notable works include No Telephone to Heaven, Abeng and Free Enterprise.Cliff also has written short stories, prose poems and works of literary criticism...
's poem "
The GardenThe Garden may refer to the following:Places*The Garden, a school of philosophy founded by Epicurus c. 306 BCE*Madison Square Garden, the arena of the New York Knicks basketball and New York Rangers ice hockey teams...
," the speaker wears a
t-shirtA T-shirt is a shirt which is pulled on over the head to cover most of a person's torso. A T-shirt is usually buttonless, collarless, and pocketless, with a round neck and short sleeves. The sleeves of the T-shirt extend at least slightly over the shoulder but not completely over the elbow...
that reads "Xantippe."
In
Chelsea Quinn YarbroChelsea Quinn Yarbro is an American writer.-Biography:She was born in Berkeley, California. She attended Berkeley schools through high school followed by three years at San Francisco State College ....
's book of short stories entitled
Saint Germain: MemoirsThe Count Saint-Germain is a fictional character from a series of novels written by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro. The character was inspired by an actual historical Count Saint-Germain, a mysterious figure in 18th century France.- History :...
in the story "Harpy"
Philosopher
Daniel DennettDaniel Clement Dennett is a prominent American philosopher whose research centers on philosophy of mind, philosophy of science and philosophy of biology, particularly as those fields relate to evolutionary biology and cognitive science. He is currently the co-director of the Center for Cognitive...
named his
sailboatA sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails. The term covers a variety of boats, larger than small vessels such as sailboards and smaller than sailing ships, but distinctions in size are not strictly defined and what constitutes a sailing ship, sailboat, or a smaller...
"Xanthippe".
In Maryse Conde's book "Crossing the Mangrove," there is a character named Xantippe. He lives outside the community in the woods and many characters are afraid of him; this is because he rarely speaks and is a hermit.
A fictional account of Xanthippe's relationship with her husband is presented in the play "Xanthippe" by the British author and playwright Deborah Freeman. "Xanthippe" was first produced at the Brockley Jack Theatre, London (UK), in 1999.
Xanthippe features in
Acropolis Now (radio)Acropolis Now is a BBC Radio sitcom set in Ancient Greece, written by the author of Eats, Shoots & Leaves, Lynne Truss. It was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in two series in 2000 and 2002, with subsequent reruns on BBC 7 in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009....
, as Socrates' wife. She is the only heterosexual in Athens and has an unrequited crush on Plato.